This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from an application for AN APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR INDICATING A CALL CHARGE ON A DISPLAY OF A FACSIMILE DEVICE earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the 28th of November 1997 and there duly assigned Serial No. 63639/1997.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for indicating a call charge on a display of a facsimile device and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for indicating a call charge on the display of a facsimile device by using service information for indicating the call charge provided from an exchange.
2. Related Art
Generally, a facsimile device includes a printer for printing data on a recording medium, a scanner for scanning a document, a modem for transferring and receiving data to/from a remote facsimile device, and an operating panel including a number of function keys. The operating panel has a display window to indicate information with respect to the operation of the facsimile device. The scanner scans a document to obtain document data, and the modem transfers the document data to the remote facsimile device, and receives facsimile data transferred from the remote facsimile device. Finally, the printer prints the facsimile data.
In facsimile communication using a public switching telephone network (hereinafter, referred to as PSTN), there are two ways to calculate a call charge after a communication is completed. One way is to obtain the call charge by multiplying a transfer time by the number of calls and a call charge rate. The other way is to obtain the call charge by using service information, indicating the call charge, provided by an exchange.
With respect to the latter method, involving use of service information provided by the exchange, the exchange transfers a specified signal to the transmission side facsimile device at predetermined time intervals during the call. The transmission side facsimile device or a private exchange detects the number of specified signals received, and calculates the call charge by multiplying the number of received specified signals by a call charge rate. Thus, the transmission side facsimile device must have a call charge calculating program to calculate the call charge based on the number of received specified signals and the call charge rate.
As described above, the facsimile device has a display window to indicate the call charge. However, since some facsimile devices have no apparatus for calculating and indicating the call charge, the user must determine the duration of the call and calculate the call charge by multiplying the duration by the call charge rate.
The calculation of the call charge for a call in the same local area is simple. However, for long distance or international calls, calculation is more complex since the call charge must be calculated by multiplying the duration of the call by different call charge rates.
With respect to calculation of the call charge as described above, matters can be facilitated for calculation of the call charge for a facsimile device in the same local area, but different call charge rates must be set for long distance calls and international telephone service. Therefore, it is required that a program capable of calculating these call charges using different call charge rates be applied to the facsimile device. In the end, the user must remember the call charge rates according to the types of telephone calls, such as a long distance call or an international telephone call, or the facsimile device must contain a program capable of perform the more complex calculation of call charge according to the types of telephone (long distance or international telephone service).
Furthermore, when the call charge is calculated by multiplying the duration of a call by the call charge rate, there is a disadvantage in that, when the call charge rate is changed by the telecommunication service, the call charge rate must be reset in the facsimile device.
The present invention has been developed to overcome the above described problem. It is a first object of the present invention to provide a method for indicating a call charge on the display of a facsimile device by using data for the call charge provided through a communication line to which the facsimile device is connected.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for indicating a call charge on the display of a facsimile device by using data for the call charge as provided through a communication line to which the facsimile device is connected.
To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for indicating a call charge on the display of a facsimile device, comprising the steps of: determining whether call charge information, which is included in service information for indicating a call charge, is a facility message or a display message; if the call charge information is the facility message, detecting a number of calls from the facility message and calculating a call charge by multiplying the number of calls by a call rate which is already set by a call rate setting process; if the call charge information is the display message, detecting a call charge from the display message; and displaying the calculated call charge or the detected call charge on the display of the facsimile device.
The method for indicating the call charge on the display of the facsimile device further comprises the steps of: setting and storing the calculated call charge or the detected call charge as a present call charge; and calculating a total call charge by adding the present call charge to a stored and accumulated call charge and storing the total call charge.
The call rate setting process includes the steps of setting a call rate setting function and inputting a desired call rate; and storing the desired call rate.
The method for indicating the call charge on the display of the facsimile device further comprises the steps of: checking as to whether or not a printing function is set; and outputting the calculated call charge or the detected call charge to a printer in a predetermined printing form.
The predetermined printing form includes at least some of the following information: the day, the time, a telephone number at the receiving end, the present call charge, and the total call charge.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for indicating a call charge on the display of a facsimile device, comprising: information receiving means for receiving image data providing service information for indicating a call charge; information detecting means for detecting a type of message in a D-channel, numbers of call, and data for the call charge from the image data received in the information receiving means; calculating means for calculating the call charge by multiplying the number of calls by a call rate already set, when the type of the message which is detected in the information detecting means is a facility message; call charge outputting means for outputting the call charge calculated in the calculating means or the call charge detected in the information detecting means; means for displaying the call charge outputted by the call charge outputting means so that a user can recognize the call charge; and a controller for controlling all of the above means.
The apparatus for indicating the call charge on the display of the facsimile device further comprises a memory for storing the call charge outputted by the call charge outputting means as a present call charge, and for storing a total call charge after adding the present call charge to a stored is and accumulated call charge.
The type of message in the D-channel is one of the following: a facility message including data as to the number of calls; and a display message including data for the call charge.
The call charge indicating means includes at least one of the following: a display window which is mounted on the facsimile device and indicates the call charge; and a printer for printing the call charge in a predetermined printing form, the printer being associated with the facsimile device and capable of communicating with it.